Machine for fixing precious stones on the stone-carriers employed in lapidary operations.



E. CHALLET..

MACHINE FOR FIXING PRECIOUS ST APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1915.

1 61,766. PatentedApr. 9, 1918.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET lv ONES ON THE STONE CARRIERS EMPLOYED IN LAPIDARY OPERATIONS.

I E. CHALLET. MACHINE FOR FIXING PRECIOUS STONES ON THE STONE CARRIERS EMPLOYED IN LAPIDARY OPERATIONS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- IO, I915- Pzitented Apr. 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

BEIGE.

n'rmm CHALLE'I, or GENEVA,

MACHINE FOB FIXING PRECIOUS STONES SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOB TO L. HELLER & SON, OF 1 NEW YORK, N. Y. V a

Olil THE STONE-CARRIERS EMPLOYED IN Lemony OPERATIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

Application filed November 10, 1915. Serial No. 80,694.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, ETIENNE CHALLET, citizen of Switzerland, residing at Geneva, Switzerland, have invented certain new and, useful Improyements inMachines for Fixing Precious Stones on the Stone-Carriers Employed in Lapidar Operations; and I do hereby declare the ollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part-of this specification.

The present invention relates to a machine which serves for fixing precious stones on the stone carriers in the different lapidary operations to which the rough-stones are subjected successively to impart a regular form with polished tacets thereto.

This'machine enables the stone to be perfectly centered on the extremit of the stone carrier and to fix it solidly thereto, which is of cat importance if the cutting and polishing of the stone is effected by means of automatic machines. 0

In the accompanying drawing a suitable a form of machine for carrying out the object of this invention, is illustrated.

Similar 'letters refer to similar parts throughout the difi'erent views. m

Figure 1 is an elevation with certain parts shown in section.

Fig.2 shows in longitudinal section and to a larger scale, a stone carrying dop or spindle and different parts of the. machine in the position in which the fixing of the stone on the extremity of said stone carrier is eflected. V

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a stone carrier fitted with a stone and Fig. 4 a' plan of the extremity of the stone carrier Whlch receives the stone. F

The machine comprises a frame formed of a foot 1, two ver ical columns 2 and a movable receptacle 3 guided .by the said columns. In the foot is provided a mold serving to receive the stone 4 and at the base of the receptacle 3 a channel 5 serves to direct hot wax, through the stone carrier, into the said mold. For this urpose, the stone carrier'6 is of tubular orm and the movable receptacle 3 is connected by a part 7 to a lever 8 pivoted at 9 to the foot of the machine. A gripper composed of a fixed part 10 forming part of the foot 1 and of a movable part 11, having two fingers, serves to maintain the stone carrier in the vertical position above, the mold which allows of. the introduction of the channel 5 conveying the wax to the end of the stone carrier. The part 11 of the gripper is spring actuated; it 1s pivoted to a stem 12 and its handle 13 enables the gripper to be opened for the placing in position and removal of the stone carriers.

The channel 5 communicates with the wax receptacle 3 through a chamber 14 inwhich the wax is heated by means of a worm for hot oil 15 surrounding the lower part of this chamber, the upper part of which is cooled by a cold water circulation 16 to avoid the heat being transmitted to the wax in powder contained-inthe receptacle 3 and prevent its automatic descent. A piston 17, mounted in the receptacle 3 and connected to a spring lever 18 enables the wax to be sup-' lied to the chamber letand serves to force it down through the channel 5 into the mold and to there form under pressure the block of wax which is to retain the stone previously introduced into the bottom of the mold, on the extremity of the stone carrier.

The receptacle 3, the chamber 14 serving to heat thewax, the piston 17 with its operating lever and the channel 5 together form an injector which may be lowered on the columns 2 for the, introduction of the channel into the stone carrier. The extremity of this latter may thus be brought against the annular stop 19, which is situated 'in the interior of the stone carrier and which prevents the wax under pressure from remounting in the tube of the stone carrier.

' The mold is formed by a ring 20, fixed in the foot 1 of the frame, and by a movable and interchangeable. bottom constituted by a short rod 21. This bottom comprises i a conical part 22 continued by a cylindrical part 23 and a dish 24 inclined toward the center. The cylindrical part is of very small heightit serves to center the stone in the mold' y its waist. With regard to the dish 24, the inclination of which varies with the bevel of the stone, it serves to impart to the latter the seatin necessary to prevent the stone becoming eflected on Its waist (filleti) by the pressure of the wax compressed by means of the lever 18. The rod 21 rests on the short arm of a lever 25, pivoted at 26, which allows it to be raised by hand, or by means of a pedal, and of thus v exerted by the piston 17.

The receptacle 3 is normally held at the top of the columns 2 by the flow and return conduits of the hot oil worm 15 which are of hardened copper and of a certain length to be able to act as a spring.

The machine operates as follows:

The recepta'cle3 being filled with powdered wax and a heated stone carrier' laced in position within the gripper 11 the over 8 is depressedwith one hand to bring the passage 5 to the bottom of the stone carrier, and then, with the other hand the lever 18 is depressed in order, through the piston '17, to drive the wax through the passage into the mold, in the'bottom of which the heated stone 4 has been previously introduced. A strong pressure is continued to be exerted upon the lever 18 until wax is seen to issue through the groove 29 in the head of the stone carrier. At this moment the molding is completed; the two levers 8 and 18 are released and allow the receptacle 3 to resume its position of rest at the top of the columns 2. Then the removal from the mold is effected by the aid of lever 25 which is depressed so as to raise the bottom 21, which causes the block of wax to be forced out of the mold with the stone firmly embedded therein.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for fixing precious stones in the stone carriers, employed in lapidary operations, embodying therein a mold adapted to receive a stone, a receptacle for wax or other suitable cement, a cylinder communicating with saidreceptacle, a nozzle leading from said cylinder and adapted to enter the stone carrier; means positioning a stone :ar-

rier relatively to said mold and said nozzle and means whereby said wax or other cement may be forced from said cylinder, through said carrier into the mold and about the end of'said carrier and a stone in the mold.

' A machine for fixing precious stones in the stone carriers employed in lapidary'operations, embodying therein a mold adapted to receive a stone, a receptacle forwax or other suit-able cement, a cylinder communi- 'cating with said receptacle, a nozzle leading from said cylinder and adapted to enter the stone carrier, means adjacent said cylinder for heating wax or other cement delivered thereto, means positioning a stone carrier relatively to said mold and said nozzle and means whereby said wax or other cement may be forced from said cylinder through said carrier into the mold and about the end of said carrier and a stone in the mold.

3. A machine for fixing precious stones in the stone carriers employed in lapidary operations, embodying therein a mold adapted to receive a stone, a receptacle for wax or other suitable cement, a cylinder communicating with said receptacle, a nozzle leading from said cylinder and adapted to enter the stone carrier, means adjacent said cylinder for heating Wax or other cement delivcred thereto, means positioning a stone carrier relatively to said mold and'said nozzle, means whereby said receptacle, said cylinder and said nozzle may be moved toward and from said mold, and means whereby said wax or other cement may be forced from said cylinder, through said carrier into the mold and about the end of said carrier and a stone in the mold.

4. A machine for fixing precious stones in the stone carriers, employed in lapidary operations embodying therein a mold adapted to receive a stone, a receptacle for wax or other suitable cement, a cylinder communicating with said receptacle, a nozzle leading from said cylinder and adaptedto enter the stone carrier, means adjacent said cylinder for heating wax or other cement delivered thereto, means cooling said receptacle adjacent said cylinder whereby granular wax or other cement may be stored in said receptacle and delivered in granular form to said cylinder, means positioning a stone car? guides, a .reciprocatory receptacle mounted thereon, a cylinder communicating with said receptacle and movable therewith, a' discharge nozzle leading from said cylinder and adapted to enter the stone carrier, means positioning a stone carrier relatively to said nozzle and said mold, said nozzle being axially alined with said conical bottom, a piston mounted in said cylinder and independently operative hand levers whereby said reradially extending channels formed therein whereby the wax securing the stone in said carrier is retained in relation to said car- 15 men In testimony, that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day of September, 1915.

ETIENNE CHALLET.

Witnesses:

H. W. Fnmnmnn, R. SOLLBERGEB. 

